Karen Knowler * The Raw Food Coach

The Truth About Comfort Eating ~ Part 1

Isn't it funny how those foods we crave when we feel down, upset or lonely are called "comfort foods", when what they actually do in reality is only add to our discomfort?

How many people, do you think, are walking around today carrying an extra 5, 10, 15, 20 lb or more of "comfort" around their middle, hips or thighs? Can it really be that comfortable to be wearing our pain, now compounded into physical form as well, as if the emotional form was not already enough?!

Today we're going to wake up and smell the coffee/bread/potatoes/cheese/chocolate for what they really are, but before we do that, let's take a moment to look at why we feel we need comforting anyway.

PAPAYA & ICE-CREAM BOATS

Mmm papayas. Pick an unripe one and they're as bland as cardboard, pick a big, fat, juicy ripe one and then you can understand what all the fuss is about!

And although papayas make a delicious breakfast or snack, they can also make a truly delicious dessert (if the food combining police don't catch you first!). Here follows one of my most simple but delightful recipes that is just about as "no brainer" as you can get!

Enjoy!

 

SERVES: 2

EQUIPMENT

Food Processor or Homogenising Juicer

 

INGREDIENTS

1 large ripe papaya or 2 small
Frozen fruit of your choice (Banana, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango etc.)

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Take your frozen fruit and process in your food processor or juicer with homogenising capabilities (I personally use my Champion) until a thick creamy ice- cream is created.
2. Cut your papaya/s in half and spoon out all of the seeds. Place the halves on a plate with the seedless hole face up.
3. Spoon your ice-cream into the hole (you may wish to combine two flavours here if you're feeling flash!) and top with anything you fancy - see below for some starter ideas.

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• Great toppings for your ice-cream boats include: Grated coconut, cubed fresh fruits of your choice, mesquite powder, cacao nibs, a dusting of raw chocolate powder, banana slices, a sprinkling of vanilla pod seeds, fruit puree made from processing fresh fruit in the same way you processed your ice- cream, frozen cherries... oooh, just too many to mention!
• How do you tell a ripe papaya? Give it a gentle squeeze and it should give a little, but not give way completely (over ripe). Also look for a nice rounded out shape, this is a good sign too.

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

What to Do When You Hit the Invisible Ceiling

Have you ever reached a place either in your diet, body or life where you felt as if you were blocked or couldn't go any further or higher?

I know I have, frequently, and it really doesn't feel good - does it?

Many moons ago I didn't understand what this feeling was all about. In fact, I didn't actually give the feeling a name, I just knew it felt yucky and usually I would revert to an old pattern or behaviour which gave me room to breathe, knowing that I could up my game again if and when I wanted to. Even though reverting didn't feel great, I would use it as an opportunity to remember what feeling yucky looked and felt like, and then I'd get excited each time I approached a fresh new start, getting back on raw or cleaning up my act in some other way, and then I would ascend quickly and purposefully reaching once more those amazing and dizzying heights of before and feeling good about myself and life again.

Sound familiar?

TAHINI DRESSING

A tahini dressing is one of the most delicious and versatile dressings of all. As tahini is made from sesame seeds, it is lighter than a nut-based dressing and is high in protein and calcium, making it a nutritional superstar. A great dressing for when you want something thick and creamy. Smotheringly good!

EQUIPMENT

Blender

 

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons raw sesame tahini
1 Tablespoon pure water
1 Medjool date
Juice of 1/4 lemon OR ¼ orange

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Simply blend all ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
2. Taste test before using. Add more of whatever you need according to your tastes.
3. Pour onto your salad gently - you don't want to flood it!

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• This recipe will keep for about 2-3 days in the fridge

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

3 Common Raw Food Myths Busted!

When I first got into raw food back in 1993 there weren't a lot of raw food myths floating around as there weren't many raw foodists or raw food philosophies floating around either!

Since then my, how things have changed! There's more books, resources, foods, theories, promoters, restaurants - you name it, there's more of it! And yes, ultimately this is a great thing... the only thing that frustrates me just a little are the myths that are created out of thin air and then get passed around like Chinese whispers and are taken as gospel! So because I'm keen for people NOT to sign up to a "truth" that's not true, here's my contribution to blowing these myths out of the water…

STRAWBERRY ICE-DREAM SMOOTHIE

As a child I loved strawberry ice-creams and fast-food thick-shakes. Little did I know then what the ingredients were and what they were doing to my body! With the aim to recreate the same taste in a healthier form, I came up with this very simple but even more delicious “strawberry ice-dream” recipe. I know that you're going to love this recipe for its taste, simplicity and speed. Great for kids too of course! (Luke adores this).

EQUIPMENT

Vita-Mix or Blender

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
2 frozen bananas (peel before freezing and freeze until hard)
A small handful of fresh strawberries

OPTIONAL: small piece of vanilla pod OR a few drops of vanilla essence

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Put all ingredients into a Vita-Mix or blender (NB: If not using a Vita-Mix, allow the frozen bananas to thaw for a while first, otherwise your blender may find it too tough to handle).
2. Blend all ingredients thoroughly until thick whipped ice-cream like consistency is achieved.
3. Pour into a tall glass, serve with a strawberry on top and enjoy!

 

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• You can swap the strawberries for many other different fresh or frozen fruits, or use combinations to create your own special recipe. Mango and strawberry are lovely together. Alternatively, if you haven't had time to freeze your bananas, then use fresh ones and blend with ice instead of water.

 

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

Why Going Raw Is a Whole Person Journey

In this issue the topic du jour is the not-often-talked-about issue of emotional, mental and spiritual detoxification and how going raw affects us on every level – not just the physical.

The reason why I’ve decided to cover this topic is because this particular aspect of going raw, the whole person transformation, is my own personal most-compelling reason for choosing to eat raw and it soon engages many others.

Even though at times it may be challenging to eat raw (socially) the benefits far outweigh the negatives – in fact so many times over as to be laughable!

So, here’s my spin on what really starts going on when you start to eat more raw food… (You have been warned!) 

VEGGIE SPAGHETTI WITH PESTO SAUCE

This recipe is a great one, as it can really fulfill the need for something a little more interesting than salad and not as dense as something dehydrated. All you need to make it is a spiral slicer to create veggie spaghetti (also known as a saladacco), or for thicker pasta you could use a potato peeler.

SERVES: Serves 1 large plate or 2 small 

 

EQUIPMENT

Spiral slicer, Blender

 

INGREDIENTS

Your choice of vegetable for making your "spaghetti" (see below for ideas)
1/3 cup pine nuts or macadamias (or combination of)
1/3 cup olive oil
Half a handful of basil
1 clove garlic
Water to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

To make the spaghetti:

Take your spiral slicer and set it on the fine spaghetti setting. Use any of the following vegetables to create flavoured spaghetti or your choice: Carrot; Beetroot; Courgette (zucchini); Marrow; Sweet potato/yam. (My personal favourite for using in conjunction with a sauce is either marrow or courgette as both soak up flavours very well and have a very mild flavour themselves which doesn't interfere with the flavour of the sauce.)

Green pesto sauce: 

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
2. According to your personal taste, add more nuts for a deeper/creamier flavour, more oil for an oilier texture, more basil for a stronger flavour, or more water if it’s too rich. Process until fully blended.
3. Pour onto your spaghetti and toss well for even coverage.

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• The spaghetti can be served simply "as is", as part of a salad meal, as a base for a dish such as this, or can be really fun within a soup!

• If you have a good raw tomato sauce recipe, this makes for a great alternative dressing for the spaghetti

• Don't forget to dress any spaghetti dish with fresh olives and basil leaves!

 

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

The Biggest Secret To Staying Raw

It has always fascinated me as to why some people seem to get into raw foods and stay there while others yo-yo for months, years or even decades. The conclusion I have come to after much observation, thought and reflection is that quite simply some people have a lot more incentive than others. They have an exceptionally BIG WHY.

For some – a very tiny percentage it seems - it just resonates so completely and deeply with them from the get-go that no matter what life may bring or what others might say, there is simply no room for manoeuvre, and this, I feel is pretty amazing - respect!  For others besides, their health dictates that raw food is the only food their body will tolerate, period, and so eating anything else is not an option unless they want to feel extremely ill and suffer accordingly. For others even less physically well, it may even mean the difference between life and death.

GET THE GREEN BUZZ!" JUICE

This one really delivers. If you've never tried bee pollen before then it's time you did! If you're strictly vegan with no bee products at all, then this juice minus the pollen is still superb. Either way, be prepared for the energy rush without the come down!

It will keep you buzzing for hours!

 

SERVES: Makes two large glasses 

 

EQUIPMENT

Juicer, Blender

 

INGREDIENTS

6 strawberries
2 apples
1/2 medium beetroot
200g baby spinach
1 long cucumber
1/2 head celery
1/4 lime (with skin)
1-2 tablespoons bee pollen (- preferably the fresh frozen, see tips below.)

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Simply prepare and juice all of the ingredients as listed above, leaving out the bee pollen.
2. Pour the juice into a blender jug, add the bee pollen and then blend until the pollen is dissolved or at least broken down and no longer "separate".
3. Pour into glasses and marvel at the sunshiney glow around your juice that's about to hit your bloodstream!
4. Enjoy as a breakfast, snack or "carry-me-over" light lunch option.

 

 

Raw Coach Top Tips:

• My brand of choice for bee pollen is "Percie du Sert" (pictured above) which is sold in the UK by Kiki at kiki-health.com. It's a fresh frozen pollen - juicy, succulent and unlike anything you'll buy dried in a tub or bottle. See their web site for the full low down on this amazing (and delicious) superfood - kids will love it too!

© 2012 Karen Knowler WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS RECIPE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.